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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. B. Z.,DUMA1S.

CUTTER FOR BRICK 0R TILE MACHINES. No. 436,341. Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J B. Z. DUMAIS" CUTTER FOR 12 11101: OR TILE MACHINES.

No. 486,341. Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN B. Z. DUMAIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR. OF ONE-I-IALF TOJOSEPH DONNERSBERGER, OF SAME PLACE.

CUTTER FOR BRICK OR TILE MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,341, datedSeptember 16,1890.

Application filed January 18, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN B. Z. DUMAIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutters forBrick-Machines, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents a vertical section of a brick-cutterembodying my invention, taken on theline 2 2 of Fig. 2; Fig.2, a plansection of the same, taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, aperspective view of the cutter detached, and Fig. 4: a detail rearelevation of a portion of the carrier on an enlarged scale.

My invention relates to mechanism forcutting up into bricks continuousstrips of pressed and molded clay as delivered from brick-machines of awell-known type.

The present improvement relates to a device whereby the said strips ofclay are cut up intobricks without stopping their forward progress asthey are run out from the machine and conducted by a suitable carrier tothe cutter. I

I will proceed to describe in detail the mechanism by which I haveembodied my invention in one practical form, and will then point outdefinitely in claims the special improvements which I believe to be newand wish to protect by Letters Patent.

In the drawings, A represents an upright frame,rectangular, as shown inthe drawings, though this is a matter of arrangement and adaptation.This frame is adapted to be set up close to the machine for grinding,mixing, and pressing the clay, which may be of any ordinary constructionthat will deliver the clay in a continuous pressed strip of rectangularform corresponding to the width of the brick, the object being todeliver a strip of clay, which is designated B in the drawings, fromsaid machine to the cutting mechanism. This is represented in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings, where at the front end of the frame, which is set up nextto the said machine, is a narrow trough or guideway a, into which theclay strip is delivered.

I have not shown the main machine for grinding and pressing the clay andmaking $erial No. 387,281. (No model.)

the said strips, as machines of this kind are well known and have beenin puhlic use for many years, and their particular constructionconstitutes no part of my present invention. It will be understood bythose familiar with the art that this cutting mechanism may be used inconnection with any of the said main machines which deliver a continuousstrip of pressed clay. At this same end of the frame, where the saidguideway is located, there is mounted an upright shaft C about centrallyof the width of the frame and provided with a fixed drum or pulley 0about midway of its length. At the other end of the frame asimilarupright shaft D is mounted, similarly arranged, and also provided with asimilar drum or pulley d, and at itslowerend nearits journal with abevel-gear d. A horizontal carrier E is arranged upon these drums orpulleys, so as to be driven by the revolution of the said shafts, aswill be presently described. This carrier is for the purpose ofconveying the clay strips to the cutter,and so is arranged about on alevel with the delivery end of the guideway athat is, its horizontalportion is thus arranged. It is composed of a number of sections e,which are each of about the length desired for the clay brick when outoff. These sections are composed of a broad horizontal part and anupright or perpendicular portion rising as an upright flange from therear edge of the flat or horizontal portion-that is, the sections areangular in cross-section. These separate pieces are linked together byhinges at their backs, these hinges being preferably arranged in theupright flanges of the pieces, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Thisarrangement of the sections and hinging at their backs only will ofcourse permit the carrier to be moved around the drum-shafts, thesections opening as they pass around the drums to accommodate thismovement, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The upright flanges at thebacks of the sections are cut out slightly on each side of thehingepivots and at the lower portion of the flanges, so as to makeopenings e through the back flanges on each side of the hinge. Theseopenings are covered by thin spring-plates e fastened at their outerends to the upright flanges and extending inward toward the IOC hinge,so as to cover the openings just described, but free at their innerends, so that they will yield to permit the escape of anything pressedout against them. It will be seen from this description and uponreference to the drawings that this carrier passes forward on one sideof the main frame and back on the other, and that it is adapted to moveforward the strip of clay horizontally from one end to the other of thesaid frame on the side thereof first mentioned.

The cutter F is mounted on a horizontal shaft G, which is arranged atright angles to the path of the carrier, and is mounted at its inner endin a suitable bearing fastened to the frame, and its outer end in abearing g on any suitable support standing slightly at one side from themachine. This shaft does not extend across the frame, and is arrangednearly on a level with the hinged carrier and just about in front of theupright shaft D, which drives the carrier, as will be seen on referenceto Fig. 1 of the drawings. The cutter-shaft G is provided withadriving-pulley g, by means of which it is rotated by a band from a maindriving-pulley on any suitable shaft of the main machinery. Theseconnections are not shown, as they will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art.

The cutter F is of peculiar construction. It consists of a disk f andtwo knives f, ar-

- ranged spirally on the face of this disk.

- evident then that as the disk is rotated the- These knives are setperpendicular to the disk, and the initial of each is close to the edgeof the latter, whence it is carried around and inward spirally, theterminals being about on the same diametrical line. These fourpointsthat is, the two initials and the two terminals of the knives-areall about on the same diametrical line across the disk. It will be seenthen that each knife runs about halfway around the disk, as seen inFigs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The curve of the spiral is such that theknife will be drawn in from its initial point to its terminal a distanceequal to the length of the bricks of clay into which it is desired-toout the strips. It will be seen then that the distance between theinitial point of each knife and the terminal point of the other knifewill be the length of one of these bricks-that is, the distance from 1to 2 and from 3 to 4 on the disk, Fig. 1 of the drawings, will be thelength of a clay brick. These knives are also tapering on theircutting-edges, being very narrow, or almost to a point, at the initialand gradually widening toward the terminal, where they should be as wideor a little wider than the width of the linked sections composing thecarrier E, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The rotary movementof the disk is calculated relatively to the travel of the said carrier,so that the disk will make a half-revolution while the carrier is movingforward a distance equal to one of its hinged sections. It will becutting-knives will be progressed by reason of their curve coincidentlywith the progressive movement of the carrier. If, then,in setting up themachine the link-carrier and the cutter are arranged relatively so thatthe initial of one of the knives will be brought by the revolution ofthe disk to the carrier just at the proper time to coincide with thedivision between two sections of the carrier, it is evident that thisnarrow end of the knife will strike into the space between two sections,as indicated in the drawings, and, as already explained, the spiral willcause the said knife to progress coincidently with the carrier, so thatit will travel in its rotation in this space between two sections whichare all the time moving forward. As the tapering knife is thus carrieddown through the said space its inclined edge will of course be carriedinward farther and farther, so that it will come in contact with andsever the strip of clay which is carried forward by the carrier, thismovement continuing until the knife about fills the space between twosections at its terminal, and at this point the next kgife is just inposition to enter the next dividingspace, so that the strip or strips ofclay will be successively severed into the required lengths for brick.It will be seen that the shaft of the cutter is arranged at right anglesto the line of progression of the clay strip, so that the cutterrevolves with the travel of the strip and not across it.

I have shown in the drawings means for driving the linked carrier fromthe shaft of the cutter. This is accomplished by means of a shaft H,arranged below the cutter-shaft G and mounted in suitable bearings. Thisshaft extends inward to the uprightshaft D, where it is provided with asmall bevel-gear h, ar-

ranged to engage with the similar gear-Wheel d on the said upright shaftD. This shaft is also provided with a sprocket-wheel h, and a similarsprocket-wheel g is fixed on the cuttershaft G, The drive-chain I,running over these two sprocket-wheels, communicates motion from thecutter-shaft to the shaft H, and

thence to the upright shaft D, whereby the carrier is driven. This is aconvenient way of driving the carrier, because the relative movement ofthe cutter and carrier is thus easily maintained; but this particularmeans for driving the carrieris not an essential. A plain endlesscarrier J is arranged on the inside of the cutter just in front of theshaftD, which drives the linked carrier, and about on a level with thesaid carrier, being arranged, however, so that its inner end will comejust underneath the horizontal portion of the linked sections of thesaid carrier when they are brought around the turn at this end of themachine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. This carrier J is ofany ordinary construction, it being a device well known and in commonuse in brick-machines for the purpose for which it is here usednamely,to carry off the clay bricks from the cutter and deliver them whereverdesired. The transfer is accomplished by a wide belt j, passing overrollers at each end and driven in any convenientway. I do not deem itnecessary to show and describe these devices, for they are so well knownas to be readily understood and applied.

It will be seen from the description above and by reference to Fig. 2 ofthe drawings that each section of the carrier E will have upon it a claybrick just as it begins to turn around the shaft D, and in its movementaround the turn this brick will be brought immediately over the innerend of the delivering-carrier J. In order to transfer the brick from thelinked section c to the delivery-belt j I mount on the inner end of thecarrier J a stop K, which is shown in the drawings as a stripllc, ofconsiderable width, mounted at one end on a post is, attached to theframe of the carrier J and on the outer edge thereof. This strip extendsbackward toward the linked carrier and inward somewhat over the belt 3',so as to have an inclined position, as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings.The continuous move ment of the carrier E will bring the forward end ofthe clay brick against this inclined stop, which arrests the furthermovement'of the clay brick by the linked section 6 which carries it, andthe latter will pass out from under the brick, leaving it upon thedelivery belt j, and the bricks thus delivered will be transferred tothe desired point by said belt j. It will be seen that I thus obtain acutter of simple construction and operation which will satisfactorilydivide the strips of clay into suitable brick-lengths withoutinterrupting the progressive movement of the strip as it is deliveredfrom the main machine.

The operation is not attended with undue friction, and is absolutelycertain, for, as described above, the knives pass down through thestrips of clay their entire length, thus insuring the complete divisionof the clay strip. If the knives meet with obstruction in the shape ofhard lumps or small pebbles, which will sometimes appear, theseobstructions will be crowded to one side by the inclined edge of theknives and will be forced out through the openings e in the backs of thehinged sections, the spring-plates e yielding for this purpose. Theseopenings and springplates are providedto permit this discharge of suchobstructions, thereby preventing the stoppage of the machine or injurythereto when they may be met.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the actual detailsof the mechanism herein shown and described in all respects, for changesmay be made in many parts without losing the main features andcharacteristics of the invention, and more than two knives may be used,the relative arrangement and movement of the parts being observed, asdescribed above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letter Patent, is

1. In a brick-cutting machine, a clay-strlp carrier composed of sectionsabout the length of a brick, in combination with a revolving cutterrotating with the travel ofthe strip and provided with spiral knivesarranged perpendicular to the line of movement of the strip and curvedto correspond with said movement, substantially as and for the purposesspecified. a

2. The strip-carrierE, composed of sections (2, hinged together at theirbacks, in combination with the revolving disk F, arranged to rotate withthe forward movement of said carrier, and the knives f, mounted on theface of said disk perpendicular thereto and curved spirally thereon, sothat the terminal of each blade will be the length of a brick fartherinward than its initial and relatively arranged to permit the initial ofeach cutter to strike into the dividing-space between two sections ofthe carrier, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. A rotary brick-cutter consisting of the disk f, or suitableknife-support, in combination with the knives f, set on edgeperpendicular to the face of the support and curved inward spirally,with the initial of one knife separated from the terminal of thepreceding knife a distance equal to the length of abrick, substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

4.. The sectional strip-carrier E, having its sections hinged togetherat their backs, in combination with the rotary cutter F, rotating withthe progressive movement of the carrier, 1

the delivering-carrier J, and the stop K, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

5. The strip-carrier E, composed of the sections 6, having openings 6 intheir backs at the connectingjoint, in combination with the knivesf',provided with inclined cuttingedges, and the spring-plates 6 arranged tocover the openings c, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. The sectional strip-carrier E, in combination with its uprightdriving-shaft D, the horizontal shaft I'I, geared to the shaftD, thedriven cutter-shaft G, and chain gearing connecting said cutter-shaftwith the shaft H, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

JEAN B. Z. DUMAIS. Witnesses:

A. M. Bns'r, WM. I'I. Scorr.

